Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Acquires 88,976 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 252.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 124,240 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 88,976 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MO. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 19.4% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 438.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,962,270 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at about $89,460,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.33.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.3%

MO opened at $73.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $123.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $67.72 and a 200 day moving average of $63.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 88.70%.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company’s operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altria’s principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.